Clippers eliminated from playoff contention with loss to Nuggets

The playoff chase is over for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Doc Rivers' men were eliminated from playoff contention with Saturday's 134-115 loss to the Denver Nuggets - the fourth defeat in their last five games.

It's the first time Los Angeles hasn't qualified for the playoffs since Blake Griffin's rookie year in 2010-11. The team had made six consecutive postseason appearances with its Big Three of DeAndre Jordan, Chris Paul, and Griffin.

Paul left last summer in a sign-and-trade with the Houston Rockets, while Los Angeles dealt Griffin to the Detroit Pistons in January. Jordan has a $24.1-million player option for next season that he can decline to hit free agency this summer.

With the Clippers out of the race, it's the first time since 1976 that Los Angeles and New York won't be represented in the playoffs, as the Lakers, Knicks, and Nets have all been eliminated. If you include the Chicago Bulls in the mix, this is the first time since 1960 that none of the league's three largest markets have been in the playoffs, according to Awful Announcing's Andrew Bucholtz.